Car-fender.



F. A. SHELBY.

GAR FBNDER.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.1,1908..

91 6,892, Patented Mar. 30, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Witnesses Wff fiazim I F a kA.Seele y. Mg 6 3 By his Attiirncy, 42%; W

Inventor? F. A. SHELBY.

GAR FENDER.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.1,1908.

Patented Mar. 30, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

in M72 Z01:-

FRANK A. SEELEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

GAR-FENDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March so, 1909.

Application filed. February 1, 1908. Serial No. 413,905.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known-that T, FRANK A. SEELEY, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, city of New York, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Fenders, of which the following is a specification.

.This invention relates to improvements in fenders or guards for cars or other vehicles, and is intended to provide a fender that can be lowered or brought down in position by'impact with the person or other object in the path of the car, and that will be maintained in a horizontal position, or in a plane parallel to the surface of the street, and the invention consists in the construction and combinations set forth in the claims herein.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention, Figure l is a sideelevation'of the fender in position under the end of the car; Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the platform; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the fender showing thev means for enabling the platform to yield and move back if brought into contact with an obstruction on the sur-. face of the road; Figs. 4 and 5 are details; Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a modification of the fender in position on the car; Fig. 7 is a plan view of the fender shown in Fig. 6.

In Letters Patentissued to me May 16, 1906, No. 820,607 I describe a car fender operated and maintained in a horizontal Jlane, thereby furnishing a horizontal plato'rin on which'the person is readily and safely held and carried, and any tendency.

to roll or slide ofi is prevented.

' The invention herein described and claimed shows an improved method of operating the horizontal fender by which it is rendered more certain in action.

The drawing illustrates the fender placed beneath the car, immediately in front of the wheel; but if desired it maybe attached at the front end of the car, and projecting beyond the latter.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 5 the fender is hung from the bottom of the ear, in front of the forward c'arwl1eels. Depending from parallel links 3, 4, connectedto supports 1, 1', on the underside of the car, are horizontal side arms 5, 5. The links 3, d, are of the same length between the support and the arms and consequently the side-arms remain parallel under all conditions.- Attached to the side arms 5, 5, are

' parallel links 7, 8-, to the lower ends of which are hung the side frames 6, 6, of the fender. These latter links are likewise of equal length between their connection with the side arms 5, 5 and the frames 6, 6, and consequently the side arms and frames as they swing back and forth move horizontally, and in planes parallel with one another. Attached to the side frame 6, 6, is an apron or platform 9 of wire netting or other suitable material, on which the person or other object thrown rests and .is carried.

From the above description, it will be seen that the platform of the fender hangs and moves horizontally or in a plane parallel to the surface of the street.

The upper ends 10 of the front links 7 supporting the platform of the fender, project above the arms 5, and to their upper ends are pivoted one end of the pitmen 11, the other ends of which are pivoted to the curved ends 12 of the rear links at. As will be understood from the drawings, as the links 4t move into a vertical position in the operation of lowering the fender, the curved ends 12 on the links act on the pitmen and drawing them back pull the links 7 attached to their other ends into a vertical position thereby lowering the side frames 6, and

platform. as shown in dotted lines, Figs. 1.

and 3; The several links of the fender should be of such a length that the platform when in its lowest position will be close .to the surface of the road, and yet held a sufiicient distance above the latter not to come in contact with it. The fender thus con strn'ctedis lowered from its normal position or brought into position to receive the person or other object by actuating levers or arms 13 projecting in front of the fender and arranged-to strike or come in contact with the erson, and through the impact thereof hung the links to a vertical position lowering the fender. These lovers are connected at their rear ends to the curved ends 12 on the links 4, and rest and slide on studs 15 on the hanger l6 projecting down from the support, 1. The front ends of the levers are joined by the cross-bar 17. its shown in the drawing, these ends and the cross-bar are arranged at an angle, or inclination upward, whereby a glancing blow is produced, thus lessening the force of the impact on the person. To further soften the impact, a pad 18 may be attached to the edges or face of the cross-bar. The cross-bar joining the the person.

In the normal position of the fender, when not brought into action, the platform 9 is raised and held against the side arms 5 with the links in the position shown in Fig. 1 and actuating levers 1,3 resting horizontally on the studs15 with the cross-bar in front of the fender, and in a position to strike any person or object in the path of the car.

As the cross-bar on the levers or arms 13 strikes. or comes in contact with the person or object in front of the car, the levers are thrown up and pushed back, thereby acting on the curved ends 12 on the end of the links a to swing them to a vertical position, thus lowering the side arms 5. As the curved ends are forced back, the pitmen 11 attached to them are drawn back and swing the links 7 to a vertical position, thereby lowering the platform into position to receive the person. The platform of the fender is thus rought downward in position automatically, directly by impact with the person struck, and is held at all times horizontally, insuring a level, horizontal platform on which the person may rest safely.

As the actuating levers are pushed back and operate the fender, their lower curved e es slide on the studs 15, whereby the levers are raised above and away from the person on the fender platform. In the rear end of the pitman 11 is a slot 20 through which the rod 14 connecting the curvedends with the pitman passes and in which it can slide inthe event of the platform being pushed back when striking a stone or other obstruction on the surface of the road. A spring 21 attached to the rear link 4 and pitman 11 controls the backward movement of the platform, and brings the latter into position when it has passed over the obstruction.

In the modified form of the fender illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, the latter is hung from the truck of the carby the brackets or hangers 22. In this construction, the platform 9 is connected directly with the supporting brackets by the links 7 and 8, and when lowered or brought down into position to receive the person or other object,

pivoted at 23 to the outer sides of the hangconnecting the front ends of the levers comes in contact with the person or object in the path of the car,the levers are thrown up and act through the links 24. on the links 8 to bring the latter into a vertical position and thereby lower the platform, and at the same time bring it forward in position to receive the person. In the links 8 are slots 25 in which the roi 26 connecting the links 2 1 and 8 slides in the operation of the fender.

A spring 27 attached to the rod 26 and supporting bracket 22 facilitates the operation of the fender, and serves to lessen the force of the impact on striking the-person; and moreover, permits the platform to pass over any obstruction on the surface of the road.

Pawls 28 pivoted to the bracket 22 and engaging with ratchets 29 on the rear end of the actuating levers prevent the forward 'end of the latter dropping down, and hold them inposition to come in contact with the person in front of the car. As the levers are thrown up by impact with the person, the pawl is thrown back and engages with the ratchet. i

As will be understood from the drawing and the above description, the fender in its normal position is held horizontally beneath the car and above the road with the actuating levers projecting beyond the front of the platform in position to come in contact with any person or object in the path of the car and likely to be injurea by the latter. The drawing shows the forward end of the levers under the front of the car, but if desired, where the travel on the road permits, the ends of the levers may project beyond the front of the car. As the levers strike or come in contact with a person or object in front of the car, the force of the impact pushes the levers up and the latter acting directly on the links supporting the fender swing them into a vertical position and thereby bring the platform of the fender down near the surface of the road, in position to receive the person andcarry him until he can be removed therefrom, the levers in the meantime being raised or thrown up and held away'from the person.

' As will be seen the platform of the fender on which the person falls, or is received, is held horizontally or in a plane parallel with the surface of the road, and any tendency I of the person to roll or slide off before the erases In the construction herein shown the actuating means by which the fender is lowered is carried by and forms part of the fender itself; the fender and the actuating means may therefore be detached together as a single construction from the car; and may be placed either in front of the car, or under the car immediately in front of the wheels.

In this application I do not claim the horizontal platform, as such construction forms the subject of my previous patent No. 820,607, but

IVhat I claim is: v

1. A fender for cars, consisting of a horizontal platform connected to the car and capable of being lowered into position to receive the person, and provided with actuating means, secured to the fender, adapted by impact with the person to lower the platform in position, and move out of the path 'of the person, substantially as set forth.

2. In a fender for cars, in combination, a horizontal platform connected to the car, and capable of being lowered horizontally into position to receive the person; and means secured to the fender and forming part of the latter, adapted to receive the impact of the person, and thereby lower the platform and be moved out of the path of the person, substantially as set forth.

3. In a fender for cars, in combination a horizontal platform; mechanism by which the platform is connected to the car, and is lowered horizontally into position to receive the person; and means, secured to the fender and forming part thereof, adapted to receive the impact of the person and thereby lower the platform, and be moved out of the path of the person substantially as set forth. I

4. In a fender for cars in combination,

a horizontal platform; detachable mechanism by which the platform is connected to the car; other mechanism, by which the platform is lowered horizontally into position to. receive the person; and means, secured to the fender and forming part thereof, adapted to receive the impact of the erson, and thereby lower the platform an be moved out of the path of the person, substantially as set forth.

5. In a fender for cars in combination, a

horizontal platform; mechanism by which horizontal platform 9; mechanism by'whichthe platform is connected to the car, and is lowered horizontally into position to receive the person; and actuating means 13, secured to the fender and forming part thereof, adapted to receive the impact of the person and act on the fender to lower the platform, and be moved out of the path of the person substantially as set forth.

7. In a fender for cars, in combination, the horizontal platform 9; links 7 and 8, by which the platform is connected to the car, and is lowered horizontally in position to receive the person; actuatinomeans 13, secured to the fender, and forming part thereof. adapted to receive the impact of the person and act on the fender to lower the platform, and be moved out of the path of the person, substantially as set forth.

8. In a fender for cars, in combination a horizontal platform connected to the car and capable of being lowered horizontally into position to receive the person; means secured to the fender and forming part of the latter adapted to receive the impact of the person and thereby lower the platform and be moved out of the path of the person; and mechanism connected with the platform whereby it can move back and up, substantially as described.

FRANK A. SEELEY.

Witnesses EMMA GENTRY SEELEY, FRED C. ADAMS. 

